David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 4, 2022

Upon getting their hands on this impressively huge new release from Rhino, some David Bowie fans may claim to have finally figured out why exactly The Man Who Fell to Earth did in fact fall: he had travelled in time as well as space and his craft was filled with gift copies of this actually quite heavy release, causing the calamity which sent him hurtling earthward. Joking aside, David Bowie has attained such iconic status that it's almost hard to think of him as an actual real life human being, and that tendency toward lionizing him has probably only increased since his untimely death in 2016. Kind of like the alien he depicted in that equally legendary Nicolas Roeg film, Bowie was a sort of unabashed extraterrestrial himself, presaging and actually helping to define both Glam Rock and gender fluidity in ways that continue to redound to this day. This lavish new set is what Rhino terms a "celebration" of the twelve months leading up to the release of Hunky Dory with a glut of previously unreleased tracks and other audio wonderments, as well as two huge books, one a hardback that also houses the six discs in this set, and another softcover tome which reproduces some of Bowie's own writings and even sketches from this period.

What's perhaps just as hard to imagine and/or remember given Bowie's iconic status nowadays is that Hunky Dory wasn't especially met with rapturous applause when it was originally released, and while it contains one of Bowie's (later) signature tunes, Changes, didn't even make the Top 40, and in fact even when it was rereleased a couple of years later and did substantially better on the singles chart, it still didn't make the Top 40 (but it came pretty darn close). What's also interesting in terms of what might be termed Bowie's more provocative tendencies is how absolutely melodic and filled with traditional songcraft many of the selections on this album are.

All of this said, while the Blu-ray audio disc in this set may be the first calling card for denizens of this site, this is an absolutely amazing collection of rarities that feature some really cool examples of Bowie working on tunes and arrangements. Even a cursory glance at the huge array of tunes available on the CDs (listed below) should give some indication of the treats that are in store.

David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's really no video content to speak of, and so I haven't bothered to include a score, but the screenshots here show the menus that are available on the Blu-ray disc included in this package.

David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the audio quality is understandably variant as you make your way through the four CDs, the Blu-ray offers sterling fidelity even though some may have niggling qualms about the bulk of these tunes having been remastered several years ago. That said, when I skipped around "by year" and listened to various versions, I wasn't struck by anything untoward on the older masters, and all the LPCM 2.0 tracks are beautifully clear and fluid sounding. That said, some of the "new, improved" mixes, as in the "2021 Alternative Mix" for Changes may initially strike some ears as being a little, well, alien sounding, though that's not to indicate there are any technical issues whatseover. Bowie was obviously a master at layering and the Blu-ray audio helps to "unmask" some of the depth of these arrangements. Dynamic range is appealingly wide throughout. I'm frankly not sure the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 "bonus mix" of Life on Mars? is a mind blower, but it does open up the soundstage noticeably.

David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Where to even begin with a release this expansive? Well, let's start with measurements: the slipbox is approximately 13" high by 10.5" wide by 1.5" deep, and perhaps stating the obvious, the two books enclosed are just slightly smaller. As mentioned above, a softcover oversized "art notebook" contains reproductions of Bowie's "charts" for various songs (i.e., lyrics with chords), as well as a few sketches. The hardback book holds the five discs of this set in end piece cardboard sleeves on the front and back inside covers and then also includes just an amazing amalgamation of writing, including a detailed history of this time in Bowie's life, along with some fantastic photos and memorabilia. The Blu-ray disc is mentioned in passing above, but the four CDs and Blu-ray disc contain the following content (tracks marked with asterisks are previously unreleased):

CD 1:
THE SONGWRITING DEMOS PLUS

• 1 Tired Of My Life (demo) *
• 2 How Lucky You Are (aka Miss Peculiar) (demo) *
• 3 Shadow Man (demo)
• 4 Looking For A Friend (demo) *
• 5 Waiting For The Man (San Francisco hotel recording) *
• 6 Quicksand (San Francisco hotel recording) *
• 7 King Of The City (demo) *
• 8 Song For Bob Dylan (demo) *
• 9 Right On Mother (demo) *
• 10 Quicksand (demo)
• 11 Queen Bitch (demo) *
• 12 Kooks (demo) *
• 13 Amsterdam (demo) *
• 14 Life On Mars? (demo) *

Bonus acetate dubs:


• 15 Changes (demo) *
• 16 Bombers (demo) *

CD 2:
BBC RADIO IN CONCERT: JOHN PEEL

David Bowie and Friends
(mono)

• 1 Queen Bitch *
• 2 Bombers
• 3 The Supermen *
• 4 Looking For A Friend
• 5 Almost Grown
• 6 Kooks
• 7 Song For Bob Dylan *
• 8 Andy Warhol *
• 9 It Ain't Easy

David Bowie and Friends
(stereo)

• 10 Queen Bitch *
• 11 The Supermen *
• 12 Looking For A Friend *
• 13 Kooks *
• 14 Song For Bob Dylan *
• 15 Andy Warhol *
• 16 It Ain't Easy *

Recorded 3rd June, 1971 and broadcast 20th June, 1971
Paris Cinema Studio, Regent Street, London
Musicians:
David Bowie – lead vocals (except as below)
George Underwood – lead vocals on 'Song For Bob Dylan' & 'It Ain't Easy' (3rd verse) & backing vocals
Dana Gillespie – lead vocals on 'Andy Warhol', backing vocals
Geoff MacCormack (aka Alexander) – lead vocals 'It Ain't Easy' (2nd verse), backing vocals
Mark Pritchett (aka Carr-Pritchard) – guitars, backing vocals
Mick Ronson – guitars, backing vocals
Trevor Bolder – bass
Woody Woodmansey – drums

CD 3:
BBC RADIO SESSION AND LIVE

• 1 The Supermen
• 2 Oh! You Pretty Things
• 3 Eight Line Poem
• 4 Kooks *
• 5 Fill Your Heart *
• 6 Amsterdam *
• 7 Andy Warhol *

Musicians:
David Bowie – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
Mick Ronson – guitars, bass, vocals
Session recorded at Kensington House Studio T1 for BBC Radio on 21st September, 1971 and broadcast 4th October, 1971
Live Friars, Aylesbury, 25th September, 1971


• 8 Introduction*
• 9 Fill Your Heart*
• 10 Buzz The Fuzz*
• 11 Space Oddity*
• 12 Amsterdam*
• 13 The Supermen*
• 14 Oh! You Pretty Things*
• 15 Eight Line Poem*
• 16 Changes*
• 17 Song For Bob Dylan*
• 18 Andy Warhol*
• 19 Looking For A Friend*
• 20 Round And Round*
• 21 Waiting For The Man*

Recorded live to 2 track tape.
David Bowie – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
Mick Ronson – guitars, backing vocals
Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
Woody Woodmansey – drums
Tom Parker – piano

CD 4:
ALTERNATIVE MIXES, SINGLES AND VERSIONS

BOWPROMO mixes

• 1 Oh! You Pretty Things
• 2 Eight Line Poem
• 3 Kooks
• 4 Queen Bitch
• 5 Quicksand
• 6 Bombers – Andy Warhol intro.

Produced by Ken Scott (assisted by The Actor)
Recorded by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London


• 7 Lightning Frightening (aka The Man)*

Produced by David Bowie. Engineered by Ken Scott
Recorded on 23rd April, 1971, Trident Studios, London


• 8 Amsterdam (early mix)

Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London


• 9 Changes (mono single)
• 10 Andy Warhol (full length mono single)

Produced by Ken Scott (assisted by The Actor)
Recorded by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London


• 11 Amsterdam (single b-side mix)

Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London


• 12 Life On Mars? (2016 mix)

Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London
Mixed by Ken Scott at Abbey Road Studios, London on 12th April, 2016

2021 mixes

• 13 Changes (2021 alternative mix)
• 14 Life On Mars? (original ending version)*
• 15 Quicksand (2021 mix – early version)*
• 16 Fill Your Heart (2021 alternative mix)*
• 17 Bombers (2021 alternative mix)*
• 18 Song For Bob Dylan (2021 alternative mix)*
• 19 The Bewlay Brothers (2021 alternative mix)*

Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London
Mixed by Ken Scott, October/November 2021

BLU-RAY AUDIO

All PCM Stereo 96kHz/24bit except
'Life On Mars?' (2016 mix) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM Stereo 96kHz/24bit

HUNKY DORY 2015 REMASTER

• 1 Changes
• 2 Oh! You Pretty Things
• 3 Eight Line Poem
• 4 Life On Mars?
• 5 Kooks
• 6 Quicksand
• 7 Fill Your Heart
• 8 Andy Warhol
• 9 Song For Bob Dylan
• 10 Queen Bitch
• 11 The Bewlay Brothers


Produced by Ken Scott (assisted by The Actor)
Recorded by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London

A DIVINE SYMMETRY (AN ALTERNATIVE JOURNEY THROUGH HUNKY DORY)
• 1 Changes (2021 alternative mix)
• 2 Oh! You Pretty Things (BOWPROMO mix)
• 3 Eight Line Poem (BOWPROMO mix)
• 4 Life On Mars? (original ending version)*
• 5 Kooks (BOWPROMO mix)
• 6 Quicksand (2021 mix – early version)
• 7 Fill Your Heart (2021 alternative mix)*
• 8 Bombers (2021 alternative mix)*
• 9 Andy Warhol (original mix)*
• 10 Song For Bob Dylan (2021 alternative mix)*
• 11 Queen Bitch (BOWPROMO mix)
• 12 The Bewlay Brothers (2021 alternative mix)*

2, 3, 5, 9 and 11
Produced by Ken Scott (assisted by The Actor)
Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London
1, 4, 6–8, 10 and 12
Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London
Mixed by Ken Scott, October/November, 2021
Bonus mix


• 13 Life On Mars? (2016 mix)
Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Recorded and engineered by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London
Mixed by Ken Scott at Abbey Road Studios, London on 12th April, 2016

SOUNDS OF THE 70S: BOB HARRIS
• 14 The Supermen
• 15 Oh! You Pretty Things
• 16 Eight Line Poem
• 17 Kooks*
• 18 Fill Your Heart*
• 19 Amsterdam*
• 20 Andy Warhol*

Session recorded at Kensington House, Shepherds Bush, London, Studio T1 for BBC Radio on 21st September 1971 and broadcast 4th October, 1971

David Bowie: Divine Symmetry Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Let me just cut to the chase and say that the Top 10 list we writers here at the site are currently working on for imminent publication just had a last minute addition. I've long been a champion of Blu-ray audio, and in fact the Top 10 list I thought I had completed includes Elton John's Elton John: Madman Across the Water, but in terms of sheer amount of content and truly luxe packaging and non disc swag, this release probably easily trumps that one. Audio is stellar on the Blu-ray, and Divine Symmetry comes Highly recommended.